The United States Treasury has designated three men in Brazil as being affiliated with Al-Qaeda financially supporting the terrorist group. The Treasury said that the interests and properties of these men and any entities that they own in the United States or that are in the possession or control of U.S. residents must be blocked and reported to the Treasury.
The Treasury Department identified one of the three men as Mohamed Sherif Mohamed Awadd who allegedly received wire transfers from other Al-Qaeda associates in the country. Awadd owns a furniture store in the Sao Paulo metropolitan area.
The Treasury said that Awadd and his associate Ahmad Al-Khatib, another furniture store owner, gave technological and financial support to Al-Qaeda. Furthermore, the report said that the two men were linked with Ahmad Al-Maghrabi, Al-Qaeda’s main contact in the country, who arrived in Brazil in 2015. The statement, however, did not give further details into Maghrabi’s residence and livelihood in the country and any possible collusion between him and the other two associates.
“The activities of this Brazil-based network demonstrate that al-Qa’ida remains a pervasive global terrorist threat, and today’s designations will help deny the group access to the formal financial system,” Treasury Undersecretary Brian E. Nelson said in the statement.
The Brazilian federal police have not commented on the US statement or whether an investigation might be in progress to assess the charges.
Since 9/11, the United States has imposed countless sanctions in different countries around the world to contain the terrorist network and limit its financial support. So far, 300 individuals linked with the group have been identified and sanctioned.